The intellectual heart of UC Berkeley, the College of Letters and Science (L&S) is the largest of the university’s 14 colleges and schools and the most prestigious teaching and research unit in the UC system.

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April 20, 2018

You may be aware that UC Berkeley has an impressive number of libraries (32 to be exact), but did you know that there are 12 museums/collections associated with the university as well? Many of these museums have curators who are also faculty in the College of Letters & Science, and many of our students end up working or volunteering with these collections. Cal Day is tomorrow (April 21), so in preparation, let’s take a look at what some of these hidden gems have to offer!

April 19, 2018

"The physical and genetic changes that have enabled the Bajau to dive longer and deeper is yet another example of the immense variety of human adaption to extreme environments, in this case, environments with low levels of oxygen, said Rasmus Nielsen, a professor of integrative biology at the University of California, Berkeley. These examples can be key to understanding human physiology and human genetics." Read more...

April 18, 2018

"UC Berkeley researchers are using an exceptional stash of fossils found during the construction of a new East Bay dam to piece together a picture of what the Bay Area may have looked like some 15-20 million years ago." Read more...

Five L&S faculty have been elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences, a time-honored, prestigious society that convenes leaders in academic, business and government sectors to solve critical national and global challenges.

April 13, 2018

April 11, 2018

Roger Byrne passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, at his home in Berkeley on March 11, 2018.
Roger began his career as professor in the Geography Department at U.C. Berkeley in 1973 after finishing his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin. He established the Quaternary Paleoecology Lab and was an Associate Curator with the UC Museum of Paleontology.

Shari Huhndorf, chair and professor of Native American Studies; Nicolas Tackett, associate professor of East Asian Studies; and Fei Xu, professor of psychology are among this year’s 175 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation fellows. The prestigious annual Guggenheim fellowships recognize scholars with impressive past achievements who show promise for future accomplishments in fields ranging from the natural sciences to the creative arts.

Remember the first few days at college: excitement, fear, nervousness, acceptance or anxiety? Whatever those first impressions were, many remember their first year as the beginning of some of the best days of their lives. Research has shown that a student's first year shapes their perceptions of a college and will determine if they remain. In short, the first year is crucial because of its impact on student ​success.

April 5, 2018

UC Berkeley student Natalea Schager piloted dozens of drone flights last summer over the vast Sacsayhuamán Archaelogical Park in Cusco, Peru. Hands-on research experiences like this, where students like Schager are in the driver’s seat, are a hallmark of the Berkeley undergraduate education.
Schager’s drone flights produced so much information on Inca archaeology in Peru, and video footage, that she was able to launch an augmented reality app of Sacsayhuamán. The app is used as an educational tool aimed at giving students a 3D tour of the archaeological park from their classroom.

April 3, 2018

Low-achieving, non-white and poor students stand to gain the most academically from attending charter schools but are less likely to seek charter school enrollment than higher-achieving, more advantaged students who generally live closer to charter schools, according to research conducted by UC Berkeley economist Christopher Walters.

March 23, 2018

Ethnic Sudies undergraduates Pablo Paredes and Camila Ruiz are spending their spring break in Puerto Rico as part of Alternative Breaks, a program in Berkeley’s Public Service Center that gives more than 100 students each year a chance to explore social justice issues through hands-on service during their winter and spring breaks.

On March 23, 1868, the University of California was born at Berkeley. Exactly 150 years later, university and campus leaders, students, staff, faculty, alumni and guests came together to celebrate the UC’s — and Berkeley’s — illustrious past and march proudly into its future.

March 21, 2018

March 16, 2018

A special lecture and panel discussion followed by a reception. Keynote speaker is Professor Tracy Johnson from UCLA. Event also features UCLA Professor Paul Barber, and UC Berkeley Professor Tyrone B. Hayes.

Olly Wilson grew up in St. Louis surrounded by jazz, blues, gospel, popular and classical music. By the time he turned 15, he earned money as a jazz and rhythm and blues musician, backing up legends like Chuck Berry. Wilson went on to become a pioneer in electronic music and to share his love for music with thousands of UC Berkeley students and colleagues during his campus tenure as a professor and chair of the music department. He died Tuesday at the age of 80.